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Involving 'bystanders' to fight sexual violence on campus

The University of Windsor is trying the 'bystander approach’ to address issues of sexual violence.

Student at a rally in September 2013 at Saint Mary's University in Halifax expressing concerns over a chant that promoted 'rape culture.' (Andrew Vaughan / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

By Charlene Y. Senn

Thu., March 13, 2014

Last fall, St. Mary’s University in Halifax and the University of British Columbia were in the spotlight for offensive student behaviour during orientation. More recently, multiple members of the University of Ottawa’s men’s hockey team are alleged to have sexually assaulted a female student from another university. These universities reacted quickly and responsibly to investigate and recommend changes that will create a healthier and safer climate for all students on campus. While many applaud these efforts, others are critical because they say the problem has been blown out of proportion by biased academic research.

The statistics do seem incredible. Study after study has reported that at least 1 in 5 Canadian and American female students experience rape or attempted rape during their time at university, and this incidence has not changed in 20 years.

The majority of victims are women (yes, there is also some research on male victimization). Almost all of the perpetrators are men, and more than 90 per cent were friends, acquaintances, classmates or intimate partners or ex-partners of the women they attacked. Most men do not sexually assault women, but approximately 6 per cent have raped more than one woman and one-third express rape-tolerant views.

These statistics may seem impossible but they stand up to scrutiny. The situations that are “counted” as sexual assault are non-consensual sexual acts and behaviours (threats, force, and abuse of incapacitation) that align with legal definitions in Canada and the U.S.

For example, rape is non-consensual penetration of vagina, anus or mouth, under conditions when a man threatened to harm the woman or someone close to her, used force to induce compliance, or when she was “too drunk or out of it to stop what was happening.”

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Excluding rape of women who were incapacitated by alcohol from the definitions and statistics does not eliminate the problem on campus because the majority of perpetrators used threats or force. Clearly, it is misleading to suggest rape statistics are inflated by situations that are not really sexual assault.

If the rates of sexual assault are so high, why don’t women always call it rape and why aren’t there more reports to campus and city police? Research shows that many women do not label what happened to them as rape if, for example, the man was someone they knew and trusted, or if either of them had been drinking.

But whether or not she calls it rape, women experience the same negative effects. The situation is remembered as, “that terrible thing that happened.” Other research reveals that women don’t report because they fear they will not be believed or supported or that they will have to disclose the degrading and humiliating details of what was said and done to them. Commonly, they believe that there is little chance the perpetrator will be arrested or convicted.

On some campuses, students, faculty and staff are trying to encourage a positive culture of consent to sex that is freely and enthusiastically given. Some universities are addressing sexual violence alongside other issues related to human rights, such as racism and homophobia.

A very promising approach, supported by research evidence, is underway on my own campus at the University of Windsor. This is known as the bystander approach. It involves education to create a campus full of male and female students who see themselves as empowered bystanders, who are willing to (safely) intervene when they see situations that put fellow students at risk of sexual assault, and who will also interrupt actions that support a hostile campus environment.

Universities confront a serious challenge when the wider culture minimizes or trivializes sexual violence. Looking for proof that the three universities in the headlines have a particularly bad climate related to sexual assault is a waste of time. Every university needs to address this issue and we should applaud their efforts when they do so. Continuing to deny the seriousness of this problem only perpetuates the negative climate that promotes sexual assaults.

Charlene Senn is a professor of psychology and Humanities and Social Sciences Senior Research Leadership Chair at the University of Windsor.

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